I can count on one hand the number of men in ministry who I love to sit down with around a fire and talk theology. No, let me rephrase that. I love to talk theology with dozens of men I know. But there are a few where the dialog is taken up a notch or two, both theologically and practically speaking.

The men who are able to do this have been truly gifted by God, sitting in rarefied air as pastors and theologians. They not only know the deep truths of God, but have a real understanding of how those truths apply in our lives, and in the life of the church. They not only know what has happened in the church, but often times they can see the trends and problems inside the broader church before the rest of us do. The men who God has called like this are true shepherds indeed. The Rev. John Canales, senior pastor of Christ Church OPC in Flower Mound, TX, is one such man.

That is why I love to attend the occasional events at Christ Church. There is always an opportunity to enjoy John’s company, as well as the fellowship of the congregation that he leads. The following pictures are from one of their recent family events. You can see more pics of the gathering in my two previous posts here and here.

The Rev. John Canales

Scott Peterson and his wife, Lori. Scott is one of the elders. I love the pith helmet.

I love the lighting on this one.